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Gary Coleman
| birth_place = Zion, Illinois, United States | death_date = | death_place = Provo, Utah, United States | death_cause = Epidural hematoma | resting_place = | education = | alma_mater = | home_town = Zion, Illinois, United States | residence = | nationality = American | occupation = Actor, voice artist, comedian | years_active = 1974–2010 | spouse = Shannon Price (m. 2007–2008; divorced) | television = Diff'rent Strokes | signature = | children = | parents = W. G. Coleman Edmonia Sue Coleman | website = }} Gary Wayne Coleman (February 8, 1968 – May 28, 2010) was an American actor, voice artist, and comedian, best known for his role as Arnold Jackson in Diff'rent Strokes (1978–1986) and for his small stature as an adult. He was described in the 1980s as "one of television's most promising stars". After a successful childhood acting career, Coleman struggled financially later in life. In 1989, he successfully sued his parents and business adviser over misappropriation of his assets, only to declare bankruptcy a decade later. On May 28, 2010, Coleman died of epidural hematoma at age 42. Early life Coleman was born Gary Wayne Coleman in Zion, Illinois, outside Chicago, on February 8, 1968. He was adopted by W. G. Coleman, a fork-lift operator, and Edmonia Sue, a nurse practitioner. He suffered from focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, an autoimmune kidney disease. Because of his chronic illness, combined with the corticosteroids and other medications used to treat it, his growth was limited to , and his face retained a childlike appearance well into adulthood. He underwent two unsuccessful kidney transplants in 1973 and 1984, and required daily dialysis. Career In 1974, Coleman's career began when he appeared in a commercial for Harris Bank. His line (after the announcer said, "You should have a Harris banker.") was "You should have a Hubert doll."Gary Coleman's first television commercial: Harris Bank (1974) "Hubert" was a stuffed lion representing the Harris bank logo. The same year, he appeared in an episode of Medical Center. While best known for his role on Diff'rent Strokes, Coleman had appeared earlier on television, on The Jeffersons as Raymond, George Jefferson's nephew, and on Good Times as Penny's friend Gary. He also appeared in a 1977 pilot for a revival of The Little Rascals as Stymie. Diff'rent Strokes actor Gary Coleman dies at 42." CNN May 28, 2010 article added May 28, 2010. VH1 rated Coleman first on a list of "100 Greatest Child Stars" on television. ''Diff'rent Strokes'' Coleman was cast in the role of Arnold Jackson in Diff'rent Strokes, portraying one of two black brothers from Harlem adopted by a wealthy white widower in Manhattan. The series was broadcast from 1978 to 1986. He became the most popular fixture of the series, enhanced by his character's catchphrase "What'chu talkin' 'bout, Willis?". At the height of his fame on Diff'rent Strokes, he earned $100,000 per episode. A Biography Channel documentary estimated he was left with a quarter of the original amount after paying his parents, advisers, lawyers, and taxes. He later successfully sued his parents and his former advisers for misappropriation of his finances and was awarded $1.3 million. According to Todd Bridges' autobiography Killing Willis, Coleman was made to work long hours on the set of Diff'rent Strokes, despite his age and health problems and this contributed to his being unhappy and separating himself from the cast. Later character appearances Coleman became a popular figure, starring in a number of feature films and television films, including On the Right Track and The Kid with the Broken Halo. The latter eventually served as the basis for The Gary Coleman Show in 1982. He also made video game appearances in The Curse of Monkey Island (1997) and Postal 2 (2003). In 2005, Coleman appeared in John Cena's music video for his single "Bad, Bad Man" (from the album You Can't See Me), Coleman played himself as a villain taking Michael Jackson and Madonna hostage. The video was a spoof of 80s culture, focusing on The A-Team.You Can't See Me Candidacy for Governor of California In the 2003 California recall election, Coleman was a candidate for governor. This campaign was sponsored by the free newsweekly East Bay Express as a satirical comment on the recall. After Arnold Schwarzenegger declared his candidacy, Coleman announced that he would vote for Schwarzenegger. He placed 8th in a field of 135 candidates, receiving 14,242 votes. ''Avenue Q'' Coleman is parodied in Avenue Q, which won the 2004 Tony Award for Best Musical. A character presented as Coleman works as the superintendent of the apartment complex where the musical takes place. In the song "It Sucks to Be Me", he laments his fate.Horowitz, Lisa. "Gary Coleman Dead at 42", The Wrap, May 28, 2010 On Broadway, the role was originally portrayed by Natalie Venetia Belcon. The show's creators Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez have said that the Coleman character is a personification of one of Avenue Q's central themes: that as children we are told we are "special", but upon entering adulthood we discover that life is not nearly as easy as we have been led to believe. They added that their original intent was for Coleman himself to play the Gary Coleman role, and he expressed interest in accepting it, but never showed up for a meeting scheduled to discuss it. In 2005, Coleman announced his intention to sue the producers of Avenue Q for their depiction of him, although the lawsuit never materialized. At the 2007 New York Comic Con, Coleman said, "I wish there was a lawyer on Earth that would sue them for me." Personal life In a 1993 television interview, Coleman said he had twice attempted suicide by overdosing on pills. Around the same time he was living in Denver, Colorado, where he hosted a Sunday night show on local radio station KHIH titled Gary Coleman's Colorado High, in which he played light jazz and new-age music. He gave part of his salary to the Colorado Kidney Foundation. In 2005, Coleman moved from Los Angeles to Santaquin, a small town about 50 miles south of Salt Lake City, Utah, where he lived for the remainder of his life. In early 2007 he met Shannon Price, 22, on the set of the film Church Ball, where she was working as an extra.Death & Celebrity: When Gary Met Shannon (June 15, 2010). [http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home/49749343-73/coleman-price-gary-utah.html.csp Salt Lake Tribune]. Retrieved July 13, 2010. Price and Coleman married several months later. On May 1 and 2, 2008, they made a well-publicized appearance on the show Divorce Court to air their differences in an attempt to save their marriage. Nevertheless, they divorced in August 2008, citing irreconcilable differences and Coleman was granted an ex parte restraining order against Price to prevent her from living in his home when he was hospitalized after their divorce.Mayoras, Danielle and Andy Mayoras (2012). Court Rules Against Gary Coleman's Ex, Finds She Abused And Cheated On Him. Forbes.com, accessed 25 November 2014 According to a court petition later filed by Price, she and Coleman continued to live together in a common law marriage until his death. However, a judge ultimately ruled against Price after hearing evidence that she carried on affairs with other men during the time she claimed to be with Coleman, and moreover "physically abused Coleman in public, led him around by the hand like a child and displayed no physical affection toward him in front of anyone." Financial struggles In August 1999, Coleman filed for bankruptcy protection."Former Child Star Gary Coleman Files For Bankruptcy", Jet, September 6, 1999. Multiple people, he said, were responsible for his insolvency, "... from me, to accountants, to my adoptive parents, to agents, to lawyers, and back to me again."Gary Coleman: Bankrupt (August 18, 1999). eonline.com. Retrieved July 13, 2010. Ongoing medical expenses contributed significantly to Coleman's chronic financial problems, and compelled him, at times, to resort to unusual fundraising activities. In 2008, for example, he auctioned an autographed pair of his trousers on eBay to help pay his medical bills.Gary Coleman struggling to shed child star image (2/26/08). Today Show Archive. Retrieved July 11, 2010. The auction attracted considerable attention, including fake bids up to $400,000. The trousers were eventually bought for $500 by comedian Jimmy Kimmel, who hung them from the rafters of his television studio.Coleman Pants Suit Kimmel (January 29, 2008). eonline.com. Retrieved July 13, 2010. Legal troubles In 1989, Coleman sued his adoptive parents and former business advisor for $3.8 million over misappropriation of his trust fund, and won a $1,280,000 judgment in 1993."Actor Gary Coleman wins $1.3 million in suit against his parents and ex-adviser", Jet, March 15, 1993. In 1998, Coleman was charged with assault while he was working as a security guard. Tracy Fields, a Los Angeles bus driver and fan of Coleman's work on Diff'rent Strokes, approached him and requested his autograph while he was shopping for a bulletproof vest in a California mall. Coleman refused to give her an autograph, an argument ensued, and Fields reportedly mocked Coleman's lackluster career as an actor. Coleman punched Fields in the face several times in front of witnesses. He was arrested and later testified in court that she threatened him and he defended himself. "She wouldn't leave me alone. I was getting scared, and she was getting ugly," he said. Coleman pleaded no contest to one count of assault, received a suspended jail sentence, and was ordered to pay Fields' $1,665 hospital bill, as well as take anger management classes."Coleman pleads no contest to disturbing the peace and receives 90-day suspended sentence", Court TV Online, February 4, 1999. In 2007, Coleman was cited for misdemeanor disorderly conduct in Provo, Utah after a "heated discussion" in public with his wife."Diff'rent Strokes' star Coleman cited for disorderly conduct in Utah County", Fox News, July 31, 2007."Gary Coleman reveals Secret Marriage", Inside Edition, February 12, 2008. In 2008, Coleman was involved in a car accident after an altercation at a Payson, Utah bowling alley which began when Colt Rushton, age 24, photographed Coleman without his permission; the two men argued, according to witnesses. In the parking lot, Coleman allegedly backed his truck into Rushton, striking his knee and pulling him under the vehicle, before hitting another car. Rushton was treated at a local hospital for minor injuries and released."Man run over by former child star in Payson", KSL-TV, September 6, 2008."Payson police say no one's talking in Coleman incident ", Deseret News, September 8, 2008. Coleman later pleaded no contest to charges of disorderly conduct and reckless driving, and was fined $100. In 2010, he settled a civil suit related to the incident for an undisclosed amount."Coleman Pleads No Contest to Disorderly Conduct", The New York Times, December 2, 2008."Gary Coleman Pleads No Contest in Bowling Brawl ", E! Online, December 2, 2008."Gary Coleman Reaches Settlement in Suit over Parking Lot Dispute", The Salt Lake Tribune, January 14, 2010. In 2009, Coleman and Price were involved in a domestic dispute, after which his ex-wife was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence, and both parties were cited for disorderly conduct."Gary Coleman's wife arrested for domestic violence", Daily Herald, August 12, 2009. In January 2010, months before his death, he was arrested on an outstanding domestic assault warrant in Santaquin, booked into the Utah County Jail, and released the following day. Trains and model railroading Coleman was an avid railfan, model railroader, and supporter of Amtrak. He became interested in trains sometime before the age of 5 during his frequent train trips to Chicago in support of his burgeoning acting career. Fans often saw him at stores specializing in model trains in areas in which he lived, and he worked part-time at Denver-area, Tucson-area, and California hobby stores to be around his hobby. Coleman built and maintained miniature railroads in his homes in several states. One of his train layouts appears in the September 1990 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman. Coleman is photographed on the front cover, with his "Rio Grande" layout. He preferred to model in HO scale, but modeled in other scales as well. One such model railroad was over 800 square-feet in size. Currently, at least one of Coleman's model railroads is being preserved in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Death and memorial Very few details of Coleman's medical history have been made public. His short stature (4 feet, 8 inches or 1.42 meters) stemmed from congenital autoimmune kidney disease and its treatment.New Details in Gary Coleman's Death (undated). Associated Press. Retrieved July 11, 2010. He underwent at least two kidney transplants early in his life and required frequent dialysis, which he preferred not to discuss. In 2009, Coleman underwent heart surgery, details of which were never made public, but he was known to have developed pneumonia postoperatively. In January 2010, Coleman was hospitalized after a seizure in Los Angeles, and in February he suffered another seizure on the set of The Insider television program.Gary Coleman Hospitalized Again (February 26, 2010). LATimes.com. Retrieved July 11, 2010. On May 26, 2010, Coleman was admitted to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo, Utah, in critical condition after falling down the stairs at his home in Santaquin and hitting his head, possibly after another seizure, and suffering an epidural hematoma. According to a hospital spokesman, Coleman was conscious and lucid the next morning, but his condition subsequently worsened. By mid-afternoon on May 27, he was unconscious and on life support. He died at 12:05 pm MDT (18:05 UTC) on May 28 at the age of 42. The casts of the Off Broadway production of ''Avenue Q in New York City and the Avenue Q National Tour in Dallas dedicated their May 28 performances to his memory, and the actors playing the part of Coleman paid tribute to him from the stage at the performances' conclusions. (The Coleman character remained in the show after modifications were made to relevant dialogue.Itzkoff, Dave (May 29, 2010): 'Avenue Q' Deals With Death of Gary Coleman NYTimes.com. Retrieved June 8, 2010.) The weekend after Coleman's death, a scheduled funeral was postponed and later canceled due to a dispute regarding the disposition of his estate and remains between Coleman's adoptive parents, Price, and former business associate Anna Gray. Coleman's former manager Dion Mial was involved initially, but withdrew after Coleman's 1999 will, which named Mial as executor and directed that his wake be "...conducted by those with no financial ties to me and can look each other in the eyes and say they really cared personally for Gary Colemen ",Gary Coleman's 1999 Last Will Retrieved March 16, 2011. turned out to be superseded by a later one replacing Mial with Gray,Coleman's Former Friend to Bow Out of Estate Fight (June 15, 2010). Salt Lake City Tribune. Retrieved July 13, 2010. and directing "...that there be no funeral service, wake, or other ceremony memorializing my passing."Coleman's Ashes Kept Locked Up During Battle of Wills (June 16, 2010). CNN.com. Retrieved July 11, 2010. Questions were also raised as to whether Price, who approved discontinuing Coleman's life support, was legally authorized to do so. The controversy was exacerbated by a photograph published on the front page of the tabloid newspaper The Globe depicting Price posed next to a comatose, intubated Coleman, under the headline, "It Was Murder!" The hospital later issued a statement confirming that Coleman had completed an advance health care directive granting Price permission to make medical decisions on his behalf.Hospital: Gary Coleman's Ex-Wife Was Authorized to Pull the Plug (June 3, 2010). usmagazine.com. Retrieved July 13, 2010. An investigation by Santaquin police was closed on October 5, 2010, after the medical examiner ruled Coleman's death "accidental", and no evidence of wrongdoing could be demonstrated.radaronline.com. Retrieved July 11, 2010.Cops Close Coleman Death Case. [http://www.torontosun.com/entertainment/celebrities/2010/10/05/15593026-wenn-story.html Toronto Sun] Retrieved 2010-10-06. In June, Coleman's remains were cremated, in accordance with his wishes, after a Utah judge agreed that there was no dispute regarding that issue; but disposition of the ashes was delayed pending a judicial decision on permanent control of the estate. While Coleman's final will, signed in 2005, named Gray as executor and awarded his entire estate to her, Coleman and Price married in 2007. Although they divorced in 2008, Price claimed in a court petition that she remained Coleman's common-law wife, sharing bank accounts and presenting themselves publicly as husband and wife, until his death; an assertion that, if validated by the court, would make her the lawful heir. In May 2012 Judge James Taylor ruled that while Price had indeed lived in Coleman's home after their marriage ended, their relationship at the time of his death failed to meet Utah's standard for a common-law marriage.Judge: Shannon Price is not Gary Coleman’s common-law wife (May 14, 2012). The Salt Lake Tribune The disposition of his ashes remains unreported. Price said that were she granted disposition, she would scatter the ashes at the Golden Spike National Historic Site in Utah as a tribute to Coleman's lifelong love of trains.Gary Coleman's Ashes Remain at Attorney's Office, Ex-Wife Claims (March 10, 2011). Radaronline.com archive Retrieved December 19, 2011 Filmography Television Video games in Los Angeles, California on May 15, 2003]] Coleman portrayed a fictional version of himself in Postal 2, providing the voice and motion capture. He also portrayed Kenny Falmouth in The Curse of Monkey Island. Music videos * John Cena – Bad, Bad Man as himself * 'N Sync – Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays as Santa's elf * Kid Rock - Cowboy as himself * Moby - We Are All Made of Stars as himself * Raging Slab - Anywhere But Here as himself * Slum Village - Climax as himself References External links * * * * Gary Coleman: 1968–2010 photo gallery by The Washington Post Category:1968 births Category:2010 deaths Category:20th-century American male actors Category:21st-century American male actors Category:Accidental deaths from falls Category:Accidental deaths in Utah Category:Actors with dwarfism Category:African-American male actors Category:American adoptees Category:American people convicted of assault Category:American comedians Category:American male voice actors Category:American male comedians Category:American male film actors Category:American male television actors Category:American male child actors Category:People from Zion, Illinois Category:Male actors from Illinois Category:Organ transplant recipients Category:Crossroads School alumni Category:People from Utah County, Utah Category:Comedians from Illinois